Brands face a new front in the battle for consumer attention: the AI conversation. According to a new study commissioned by research-led communications agency We are Talker, 70% of U.S. adults who have used AI for personal purposes in the past three months say they have discovered a brand, product or service for the first time through an AI tool. Nearly two-thirds (64%) went on to buy or use something from a brand that AI first introduced to them. At the same time, 68% said information from AI had caused them to rule out a brand or product they were considering. We are Talker calls this phenomenon The Invisible Shortlist—the brands AI adds to, or removes from, a shopper’s consideration while a purchase decision is still open.
“The shortlist is increasingly being shaped before a consumer ever reaches a brand’s website,” said Tim Haslam, CEO of We are Talker. “AI isn’t just helping people find information. It is starting to influence which brands get considered, which get rejected and ultimately which get chosen. That creates a different challenge for brands. It is no longer enough simply to be visible. Brands need credible, attributable evidence that helps AI understand why they deserve to be considered and recommended.”
The findings carry significant implications for marketers and communicators. The study, conducted by Talker Research among 2,000 U.S. adults between September 21 and 30, 2026, also found that 73% of respondents open to using AI in purchase decisions considered AI recommendations influential, compared with 81% for search results and 79% for customer reviews. While AI recommendations currently trail search and reviews in perceived influence, the data suggests brands can no longer focus solely on search rankings; they must also understand how they are represented inside AI-generated answers and recommendations.
We are Talker’s approach combines original research, primary-source publishing and earned media with monitoring of how AI systems interpret and cite that evidence. The firm’s Talker Pulse™ program examines how major AI platforms answer commercial questions, which sources they rely on and whether brands appear in recommendations. “The brands that build authority early in the customer journey can win customers they may never previously have reached,” Haslam added. “The ones that do not may never even know they were excluded from the decision.”
For businesses, the study underscores the need to produce credible, attributable content that AI systems can understand and cite—not just visibility through traditional advertising. As AI tools become more integrated into daily life, the brands that establish authority early may gain an edge in a discovery process that consumers never consciously see. The full study is available at https://wearetalker.com/the-invisible-shortlist-ai-brand-discovery-study-2026/, with a citation record at https://talkerresearch.com/the-invisible-shortlist/ and methodology details at https://talkerresearch.com/methodology/.
